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Cigar Basics
How are cigars made?
Cigars are made either by hand or by a machine. A handmade cigar is where the
tobacco leaves were picked, sorted, and bundled by an individual, not a
machine. The cigar itself was fashioned by a skilled cigar roller using a few simple tools. A machine made
cigar is where most or all of the cigar was made from a machine, and many of
the processing stages such as picking the leaves, grinding up the filler
tobacco, and rolling the cigar were completed by machine.
What is a premium cigar?
A premium or super-premium cigar is a cigar made by hand and should be
consistent from one cigar to the next. Premium cigars are constructed from three parts - the filler, the
binder, and the wrapper. The filler is the interior of the cigar. When the
term "long filler" is used, it means that the filler was
constructed from full leaves. These leaves are picked, stored, and aged
intact, and are obviously handled with great care. Rolling long filler cigars
takes great skill to insure that it burns evenly and smoothly. The second
type of filler is short filler. Short filler consists of loose clippings of
leaves that are leftover from the long filler production. The next part of
the cigar in the binder that consists of several layers of leaves that
encircle the spirals of filler. As the name implies, it forms the filler into
a circular shape, so that the next, and final component, the wrapper, can be
applied.
Drugstore cigars vs. premium cigars?
Most packaged “drug store” cigars are machine made and include non-tobacco
ingredients such as paper, saltpeter (for burning) and PG of Glycerin (to
prevent them from drying out). Premium cigars are hand made and contain only tobacco.
Please see filler in the glossary to learn
more about the tobacco within cigars.
What is the anatomy of a cigar?
The Anatomy of a Cigar:
| Cap | |
| | | |
| Flag - | C | - Head |
| I | |
| G | - Body |
| A | |
| R | - Tuck or Foot |
Cap, Head or Flag – A loose piece of tobacco applied with natural glue as the finishing touch to
the cigar. Offers a nice appearance
and, if applied properly, feels good in your mouth and prevents the wrapper
from unraveling.
Body – main portion of cigar consists of Filler, Binder, and Wrapper.
Filler – long leaves of tobacco (Long filler) or cut up pieces
of tobacco (Short filler) that compromise the bulk of the cigar and deliver
most of the flavor.
Long filler – filled with long leaves of tobacco deftly gathered together by a roller. A long-filler
cigar is almost always handmade, and all premium handmade cigars are
long-filler cigars.
Short Filler – the middle of a short-filler cigar is filled with
leaves, stems, and other scraps of tobacco chopped up by a machine, in a
machine made cigar.
Binder – tough, coarse tobacco that holds the whole thing together in hand made cigars
or ground up tobacco bits that are held together by natural glue in machine
made cigars.
Wrapper – A silky leaf of tobacco that makes your cigar look and feel attractive.
Tuck or Foot – The business end of the cigar – the end that you light.
Can I purchase Cuban cigars legally in the US?
In short, no. There are many companies that claim
to have genuine Cuban cigars available for purchase. However, they are doing
so in violation of United States Office of Foreign Asset Controls regulations -
[http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/alerts/restricted/cuban_cigars.xml].
Can Cigar.com recommend a cigar for me?
Absolutely. Call us! Cigar preferences and tastes
differ greatly, so we recommend you to buy a few different singles (or [sampler
packs]) before purchasing boxes of cigars. The most important thing to
determine is whether you like mild, medium or full-bodied cigars. You should
also decide what shape of cigar suits you best. See our [Shape Chart].
I am new to cigars, where can I learn more?
Our Information section is a great place to start. You can certainly call us at 800.357.9800
and we’ll hold your hand while trying to select your first cigars. We also
recommend a subscription to Cigar Aficionado to get a more sophisticated look
at the cigar culture and lifestyle.
I am buying cigars as a gift. Can you help me?
Yes. Please visit our [Gift Section]. If you have any questions,
please feel free to call us at 800.357.9800.
What's the best cigar book?
The best reference guide is [Perelman’s Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars], updated
every year. [The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cigars] by Ted Cage is a
great book for beginners.
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